Van der Graaf Generator

Genre: Progressive Rock

Grade: A

Yeah, yeah, I know, nonexistent reader that I desperately wished existed and were reading this article; Van der Graaf Generator isn't 'forgotten' by any stretch of the imagination. Of course, they were never really highly regarded, critically or commercially, outside of the art rock community until recent years, but that's beside the point...basically.

Of course, as any professional 'critic' like Robert Christgau would tell you, the music, lyrics, essence, and everything else about Van der Graaf Generator 'emanates an air of pretension and pomp that you can only find in the most self-indulgent of prog bands'. It may have been completely pointless to bring that topic up, but I'm really getting sick of those self-proclaimed 'musical geniuses' and 'Deans of Popular Music' *ahem* Robert Christgau *ahem*. They make my blood boil.

Anyhoo, VdGG's music is tough to take in all at once. The metaphysical, often introspective lyrics are probably the most well-recognized components of their music, Hammill's voice is, basically, the vocal equivalent of Jimi Hendrix's guitar, and the group integrates jazz, avant-garde, and even classical styles into their music. Like I said, a lot to take in all at once.

From my very basic description, they may come off to you, the inexperienced, hungry listener, as a typical prog rock band. Very pretentious and grandiloquent, with lyrics that often cover topics that the performers don't fully understand. However, we're not talking about ELP, here. Hammill knows his stuff. If he hasn't read and stolen material from hundreds of books on philosophy, then he defines the word 'genius'.

Really. Look 'genius' up in the dictionary, and if there isn't an image of Peter Hammill to accompany it, get a new dictionary.

On the topic of philosophy, it's a human thought that we have brains.

Our brains do everything for us, or...so we think.

Muse over that one for a while.

Anyway, VdGG's music is similar to King Crimson's in the aspect that it's particularly bleak, and through that, is realistic; unlike bands like Yes (which I still adore), their lyrics and their styles are generally very human and emotional. It isn't 'detached', as some critics would force you to believe. This is intellectually stimulating music; it's something you have to sit down and mull over, something you have to really think about, and then draw individual conclusions. It almost feels, at times, that their objective as a band was to epitomize Hammill's lyrics; the intention of many of the more quintessential prog bands was to write lyrics that epitomized the music.

This 'lyrics over music' thing rarely works for artier bands like VdGG, but they pull can pull if off. Not sure I can say the same for Marillion....

Unfortunately, as is the tragic situation with so many bands, Van der Graaf inevitably...got worse. They didn't necessarily become a hilarious, pathetic joke like the Moody Blues, but they definitely squandered their reputation with albums like the Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome and World Record.

If you want to hear the cognitive Generator, listen to their first few records. Still Life and earlier is where the good stuff is.

There are some gems afterwards, as always, but nothing like the classics. That idea holds true in a lot of aspects, huh?

The definitive quote:

"Angels live inside me; I can feel them smile. Their presence strokes and soothes the tempest in my mind."

Essential recordings: The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each-Other (1970), H to He Who Am the Only One (1970), Pawn Hearts (1971)

Other recommended recordings: Godbluff (1975), Still Life (1976), Present (2005), Trisector (2008)

Stay away from these: World Record (1976), The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977)

Objective rating system:

Diversity - 7.6/10

They basically maintained one musical ideology throughout their entire run, but it was a very unique and distinctive ideology.

Listenability - 7.8/10

Their more structurally sound moments are very enjoyable and bittersweet; however, casual rock listeners may be off-put by the extended song lengths and less...conventional instrumental sections.

Originality - 9.1/10

Few prog bands are as original and distinctive as the Generator.

Quality - 10/10

Boy, this rating's going to disappoint me, showing that VdGG's in my top 10 favorite groups of all time. Of course, that's a personal predilection and it's biased, but still. I don't know many prog listeners that don't like this band.

Importance - 9.5/10

Speaking about the progressive rock world, that is. I'm sure very few pop bands would name Hammill as an influence, but I strongly doubt that Dream Theater would exist if it weren't for these guys.

And for being one of my all-time favorites, they get an extra half point. Unfair, yes, but hey, this is Earth, buddy. Get with the program, already.

Overall: 9.3/10

Thus, an A on the scale.